Valve-operating mechanism for lavatories.



E. C. SPEIDEN. VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR LAVATORIES.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY I0, 1915. 1. 17638%. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. C. SPEIDEN.

VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR LAVATORIES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1915.

1 1'? 638%. Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

AW VW To all whom it may concern:

h a g v EBEN c. srmnnn, or NIAGARA FALLS. ,NEW YORK.

* vanvn-ornnarme mncnamsm r012. mva'ronms.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1916.

Application filed may 10, 1915. Serial No. 27,213.

Be it known that I, EBEN C. SPEIDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Niagara Falls, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valveoperating Mechanisms for Lavatories, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to valve-operating mechanism for lavatories, and especially to such mechanism designed to be operated by the foot. Various devices of this general nature have been heretofore proposed, some controlled. by the knees and some by the feet of the operator, but in noneof these is it possible to secure the adjustment and combination of action accomplished by theme of the present invention.

Several embodiments of the invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which v Figure 1 is a front view of' a preferred form of device; Fig. 2 illustrates the invention in perspective as designed for attachment to the ordinary basin; and Figs. 3 to 6 show perspective views of several possible forms of compound-movementbearings for the pedal.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the basin 1 has theusual supply-pipes 2, 3 for hot and cold water, respectively, leading .to 'a suitable mixing-chamber 4. In the pipes 2 and 3, there are valves 5, 6, preferably of the rotary type by which the supply of water may be re lated. The valves 5, 6 are so arrange in their seats that they will assume their open positions only when turned in a single direction, and will not be opened 'by any movement in the opposite direction past the normal closed position, as will be presently understood. From the mixing-chamber 4 a pipe" 7 leads upward to the bowl 1. The valves 5, 6 are controlled by short links 8, 9, respectively, any movement of the latter serving to turn its valve in its seat.

Beneath the basin 1, and conveniently lo cated on the floor 10, there is fixed a pedestal 11 pivotally supporting some distance from the floor, by means of suitable lateral trunnions 12, a cradle 13. The cradle carries within it a relatively freely-revoluble rock shaft 14, secured at its inner end 15 to an operating cross-bar 16. The outer end of the rock-shaft 14 is provided with an' elongated pedal 17, the ends 18, 19 of which are stamped or otherwise marked with the words Hot and Cold, and the center may be marked Warm. The shaft 14 can be readily rocked within its. cradle 13 by pressing with the foot on either end of the pedal 17, and may be tilted on the trunnions 12, independently of its rocking movement, by pressing upon the central portion of the pedal.

Pivotally attached to the ends 20, 21 of the cross-bar 16 are two levers 22, 23connected at their upper ends to the links 8, 9 by pivots 24, 25. Thus, any movement of the rock-shaft 14 in either of its two 'directions of oscillation will turn the valves 5, 6 in their seats. If thevalves 5,- 6 are not automatically closed upon release of the rock-shaft, suitable springs or weights may be attached to some convenient portion of the mechanism in any well-known manner for accomplishing this automatic return of the parts to their inoperating positions.

According to the slight modification illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein the invention is adapted to be attached to a basin having ordinary exposed faucets, the cross-bar 16 is pivotally connected at its ends 20, 21 to push-links 30, 31 having upwardly extending guide-pins 32, 33. These pins pass freely through eyes formed in the lower ends of elongated levers 22, 23, fulcrumed midway their length as at 34 to some fixture, c. g. to the sides of the basin 1, as shown. At the base of the guide-pins 32, 33 the links 30, 31 are formed or provided with enlarged or shoulder portions 39, 40 upon which the lower ends of the levers 22' and 23 respectively. rest. The upper ends of the levers 22, 23' are pivoted to links 8', 9, operatively attached to the valve-handles 35, 36 of the faucets 37, 38 so that any outward movement of the links 8', 9 will serve to open the valves, as by turning the same. The faucets are preferably of the wellknown self-closing type, so that when the levers 22', 23' are released the parts will reassume' their inoperative positions.

In use, as will be apparent, pressure on the right end 19 of the pedal 17 will cause the shaft 14 to rock in its elongated hearing or cradle13, causing the cross-bar 16 to tilt to raise its left end 20 and to lower its right end 21. Such movement of the parts in the form shown in Fig. 1 will cause, through the levers 22, 23, the valve-operating links 8, 9 to be thrown up and down, respectively,

. the hot and cold-water valves opened.

ter to the bowl 1. Obviously, the parts may be slightly changed so that cold water will be supplied when the right-hand side of the pedal 17 is depressed, and the hot-water valve opened when the left-hand portion of the pedal is depressed. Also, as will be apparent, the valves 5, 6 may be opened by turning them in the directlons opposite to those stated in the foregoing description.

According to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, when the right-hand end 19-of the pedal 17 is depressed, and the cross-bar 16 tilted in the manner above described, the link 30 will be thrust upward while the link 31 will move downward. The shoulder 39 engaging the lower end of'the lever 22' will'rock the latter about its fulcrum 34, the resulting pull outward on the link 8 will turn the handle 35 of the faucet 37, and thus permit cold water to flow into the basin.- The operating lever 23' remains undisturbed in the meantime, as during the fall ofthe link 31 the pin 33 rides freely downward through the eye in the lever 23'. Likewise, when the left side 18 of the edal is depressed, the link' 31, lever 23 an link 9 are moved to effect the opening of faucet 38 to supply hot water to the bowl. Here, as before, the parts might be slightly shifted so that pressure on the right-hand side of the pedal will open the hot-water valve and depression of the left-hand end of the pedal will cause the opening of the coldwater valve. Also, the levers 22, 23 need not cross, but may be arranged to extend upward from their respective links 30, 31 to the valve on the same side. of the basin therewith.

In both of the forms of the invention above described, pressure appliedalong the center of the pedal 17 will cause the rockshaft 14 to be tilted in a vertical plane about the trunnions 12. Thereupon, the entire bar 16 will be raised, both connecting levers 22, 23 or 22, 23' will be trust upward, and boBth y releasing one end or the other of the pedal to permit that end to rise to a greater or less degree, it is possible to uite effectively control the temperature 0 the water in the basin.

If found desirable, an enameled or nickelplated casing ll may be fitted about the bearing, suitable apertures or cut-away por tions 42, 43 and 44 being provided to accommodate the protruding parts. Also, the entire mechanism can be shifted to be operated in planes at 90 from the planes in which the parts are shown in the drawings, so that the shaft or operating-levers will be substantially vertical, and the reach-rods connecting the levers to the valves will run horizontally.

Obviously, the bearing of the pedal 17 may be somewhat widely varied in construction, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and several other forms are illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6. As shown in Fig. 3, the fulcrum 12 of the cradle 13 is located in the rear, and the cross-bar 16 is fixed to the central portion of the shaft 11 The valves would in such case be operated by the downward pull given to the links 30 31 by depression of the pedal 17 According to the form illustrated in Fig. 1, two operating-bars A and B, one for each of the links 30 and 31 are provided,these bars being mounted upon fulcrums 12 and 12 The front or 'outer ends of the bars A, B are connected by a cross-bar 17 so that both bars may be tilted simultaneously by depression of the pedal-bar 17 with one foot of the operator. However, the connections between the pedal 17? and the bars A, B are of such nature that depression of one of the bars A, B may be effected without movement of the other. This may be accomplished by providing ball-and-socket 7 joints C, D, as shown, or by any other suitable means, not necessary to describe. The modification shown in Fig. 5 differs from that shown in Fig.4 only in that, as in Fig. 3, the fulcrums of the operating elements are located at or near their inner ends 14 149, while the pull-rods 30 and 31 are carried intermediate the lengths of the bars.

In Fig. '6 there is illustrated a pedal 17 extending across and supported upon a single-point bearing 12, of any appropriate form. The pedal in such case may be a plane wooden or metal plate, and it may be provided on its under side with a socket adapted to receive a ball or other bearing 11". The li the inner en s 30 and 31 are attached to o the pedal 17 as in Figs. 1,

carried .upon the top of a suitable pedestal 2,. etc. In the .use of a. device of this kind,-

ing' the outer end of the pedal 17 with the heel, or the inner end with the toe, if the links 30, 81 operate the valves by pull, both valves can be opened simultaneously. By tilting the pedal 17 at various angles about its bearing 12, the temperature of the Water admitted to the bowl may be quite effectively regulated.

Foot-operated valves for lavatories are of course old in the art, but I believe that I am the first to provide mechanism Whereby the movement of a single pedal serves to open one of the valves quite independently of the other, or to open both valves simultaneously, at the desire of the operator.

I claim 1. Lavatory apparatus, comprising hot and cold Water valves having operating connections, rocking means for actuating one or the other or both of said connections, and a single pedal for rocking said rocking means.

2. Lavatory apparatus, comprising hot and cold water valves, a rock-shaft, an operating bar connected to said valves, said bar being mounted on said rock-shaft to oscillate therewith transversely of the axis of the rock-shaft and thereby actuate one or the other of said valves, and means for rocking said rock-shaft and for independently tilting it to actuate said valve simultaneously.

3. Lavatory apparatus, comprising hot and cold Water. valves, a rock-shaft connected with said valves, means for rocking said rock-shaft to thereby actuate one or the other of said valves, and means for tilting said rock-shaft to thereby actuate said valves simultaneously.

4:. Lavatory apparatus, comprising hot and cold Water valves, a rock-shaft connected with said valves and oscillative about axes at right-angles to each other to actuate one or the other or both of said valves, respectively, and a single pedal-for turning said rock-shaft about either axis.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EBEN C. SPEIDEN.

Witnesses:

FRANK N. Con, WILLIAM H. ARISON. 

